Maria Zakharova: Russian civil society actively helps Syrian people

Date of publication: 23 01 2016, 14:43

Russia’s humanitarian assistance to Syria is broad and includes not only delivery of humanitarian supplies, but also evacuation of citizens of the Syrian Arab Republic from the dangerous regions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a press briefing.

“I want to say a few words about that humanitarian assistance to Syria from Russian NGOs. Since 2012, Russian non-governmental organisations, including the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, the All-Russian Organisation of Veterans ‘Combat Fraternity’, the Russian Committee of Solidarity with the Peoples of Libya and Syria and the St. Andrew’s Foundation have been providing humanitarian assistance to the suffering people of Syria,” the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Zakharova added that the All-Russian Organisation of Veterans ‘Combat Fraternity’ has been providing humanitarian relief aid to Syria since January 2014. The fraternity has delivered five batches of aid, including baby food, warm clothing for refugees, food and medications, and wheelchairs for wounded people. Families who lost their breadwinners, Orthodox Christian orphanages of the Antioch Orthodox Church and boarding schools for the children of Syrian soldiers, killed in action, received material assistance.

According to her, in July 2015, a group of students from boarding schools for children of Syrian soldiers killed in action, and children from orphanages of the Patriarchate of Antioch were invited to Russia. They visited Moscow and spent two weeks at a youth camp in Crimea.